Woman Has Two Faces: Re-Examining Eve and Lilith in Jewish Feminist Thought

<p>Throughout the religious history of American feminism, Jewish feminist biblical interpretation shifted attention away from Eve as a viable example of women's identities. Instead, Lilith, the independent, "demon" and "first wife" of Adam is praised as a symbol of female sexuality for "Transformationist" Jewish feminists. Re-claiming Lilith as the "first Eve," "Transformationist" Jewish feminists turn scripture on its head. Eve's creation and her actions in Genesis are interpreted as a product of patriarchy and male dominance, while Lilith in the midrashic narrative, the <em>Alphabet of Ben Sira</em>, is used by Jewish feminists to reclaim their identities on religious and spiritual levels.</p> <p>This thesis explores the history of "Transformationist" Jewish feminism to understand the methods by which scripture is interpreted, and ultimately arrive at new working interpretations of Genesis 1-3 and<em>The Alphabet of Ben Sira</em>. This thesis' significance lies in an exploration of Jewish feminism's ability to cross religious and gender boundaries.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2009

Author dc:creator

• Carvalho, Diana

Contributors dc:contributor

• Gregory Robbins, Ph.D.
• Alison Schofield, Ph.D.
• Sarah Pessin

• Eve
• Feminism
• Genesis
• Jewish
• Lilith
• Jewish Studies
• Women's Studies

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/115

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-1114